Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Political parties in Kurdistan targeted by insurgent groups
Security, Politics
(Azzaman) - Kurdish political factions operating in the Sunni Arab-dominated Province of Nineveh have become a main target for attacks by insurgent groups in the area. In the past few weeks, offices of Kurdish parties which are heavily protected by Kurdish peshmerga or militias were hit by a series of car bomb attacks in which scores of Kurdish fighters were killed and many injured.
The insurgents have so far destroyed three main offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of the Massoud Barazin, the president of the Kurdish region. The Kurds have extended their influence and control to the peripheries of Mosul, the provincial capital. Kurdish militias patrol the city’s outlying towns and villages and set up checkpoint on main roads leading to it. Mosul is a major insurgent stronghold and insurgent leaders fear Kurdish practices might choke their supply routes.
A senior Kurdish official is number two in Nineveh provincial council to represent a sizeable Kurdish community in the city. The official, Khisro Koran, a senior KDP member and deputy governor of Nineveh, said the attacks were meant to “embroil the Kurds in the current sectarian fighting” in the country. He said Kurds in Mosul and other areas were being subjected “to a campaign of liquidation,” forcing thousands of them to flee. The insurgents operate conspicuously in Mosul and kidnap or kill officials or residents who do not heed their instructions.
The insurgents have so far destroyed three main offices of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of the Massoud Barazin, the president of the Kurdish region. The Kurds have extended their influence and control to the peripheries of Mosul, the provincial capital. Kurdish militias patrol the city’s outlying towns and villages and set up checkpoint on main roads leading to it. Mosul is a major insurgent stronghold and insurgent leaders fear Kurdish practices might choke their supply routes.
A senior Kurdish official is number two in Nineveh provincial council to represent a sizeable Kurdish community in the city. The official, Khisro Koran, a senior KDP member and deputy governor of Nineveh, said the attacks were meant to “embroil the Kurds in the current sectarian fighting” in the country. He said Kurds in Mosul and other areas were being subjected “to a campaign of liquidation,” forcing thousands of them to flee. The insurgents operate conspicuously in Mosul and kidnap or kill officials or residents who do not heed their instructions.
Labels: car bombs, insurgent groups, KDP, Khisro Koran, Kurdish parties, Ninevah, Peshmerga
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Kurdish parties issue joint statement demanding implementation of Article 140
Politics
(BBC Monitoring) - In a joint statement issued on 14 April, nine Kurdistani parties announced that they "strongly criticize [Iraqi Premier] Nuri al-Maliki's government and demand that the government implement Article 140 without any delays and as scheduled. Otherwise, we will ask the people of Kurdistan to call for a referendum through the UN to determine their fate." The statement was issued at the headquarters of the Kurdistan Toilers' Party.
Another part of the statement reads: "We condemn the Turkish threats and intervention in the Kirkuk issue."
Saman Majid, member of the Political Bureau of the Democrats Party of Kurdistan [this is not the Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP], told Hawlati: "We believe that Article 140 will not be implemented on time; therefore, all of us should have a stance. Our stance in this regard is to warn Al-Maliki's government."
The nine parties include the Kurdistan Toilers' Party, the Democrats Party of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party, the Kurdistan National Party, the Kurdistan Liberation Party, the Democratic Member of the People of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Leftists' Party, the Kurdistan Independent Labour Party and the Communist Union of Kurdistan.
Another part of the statement reads: "We condemn the Turkish threats and intervention in the Kirkuk issue."
Saman Majid, member of the Political Bureau of the Democrats Party of Kurdistan [this is not the Kurdistan Democratic Party, KDP], told Hawlati: "We believe that Article 140 will not be implemented on time; therefore, all of us should have a stance. Our stance in this regard is to warn Al-Maliki's government."
The nine parties include the Kurdistan Toilers' Party, the Democrats Party of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party, the Kurdistan National Party, the Kurdistan Liberation Party, the Democratic Member of the People of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Leftists' Party, the Kurdistan Independent Labour Party and the Communist Union of Kurdistan.
Labels: Article 140, Kirkuk, Kurdish parties, Nouri Al-Maliki
